How does email work? The journey of a message
How does email work in short?
Email works like a digital postal system. Your message isn't sent directly from your computer to the recipient's, but travels past "post offices": mail servers that accept, pass on and store messages. Every email address belongs to a domain (the part after the @), and that domain shows the internet the way to the right mail server.
You don't need a server of your own for that. Those servers are arranged by email hosting: the service that runs your mailbox. What that involves exactly, you can read in what is email hosting.
Why it's handy to understand this
You don't need to know how email works in order to email. But a bit of insight helps you at moments that matter:
- When a message doesn't arrive, you understand where it can go wrong along the way: when sending, when looking up the destination, or when delivering.
- When your mail ends up in the spam folder, you understand why receiving servers can be suspicious and what to do about it.
- When you set up email on your own domain, you know why you have to set a few settings in your domain before everything works.
In short: you go from "it's acting weird" to "I know where to look".
The journey of a message, step by step
Say you send a mail from jij@jouwzaak.be to klant@voorbeeld.be. Here's what happens:
- You write and click send. You use webmail in your browser or a mail program on your computer or phone. Your message is ready to depart.
- Your message goes to the outgoing server. Your program delivers it via the SMTP protocol to your provider's outgoing mail server, after it has signed in. Exactly how that sending works, you can read in what is SMTP.
- The server looks up the destination. The outgoing server asks the internet: "where does the mail of
voorbeeld.become in?" The answer is in the MX record of that domain: a signpost in the DNS. More about that in DNS for email explained. - The servers pass on the message. The outgoing server connects with the receiving mail server and hands over the message. Along the way the recipient checks whether the mail really is allowed to come from your domain (via settings like SPF, DKIM and DMARC).
- The message arrives in the mailbox. The receiving server places your mail in the customer's mailbox, after a check for spam, phishing and malware.
- The recipient reads it. That happens with a reading protocol (IMAP or POP) when the customer opens their mailbox, in webmail or a mail program.
If a step fails, for example because the address doesn't exist, you get an error message back in your own inbox.
What to watch out for
A few things determine whether your mail arrives smoothly and reliably:
- Your domain settings must be correct. The MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records show the way and prove you can be trusted. If they aren't right, your mail ends up in spam sooner or doesn't arrive at all.
- Encryption should be standard. Both sending and retrieving are best done over a secure connection, so no one can read along.
- The recipient has a say. Even if you do everything right, the spam filter on the other side decides. A clean sender reputation and correct domain settings help get your message into the inbox.
- Where your mail is stored counts. Your provider's servers determine which privacy rules your messages fall under. For anyone who works with personal data, that's a deliberate choice.
And with Mailflux
With Mailflux that whole journey runs in the background, while you simply mail. Your email runs on your own domain, hosted in Europe and GDPR-compliant. Every plan includes antivirus, antispam, antimalware and backups, so incoming junk is kept out and your messages stay safely stored. You log in to the webmail via webmail.mailflux.eu (usable straight away on any device) or you use a mail program via POP, IMAP and SMTP.
You don't have to figure out the tricky part, the right domain settings, on your own either: we help you connect your domain. More about mailing with your own name after the @ can be read in email on your own domain.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What happens when you send an email?
Your message first goes to an outgoing mail server, which looks up where the recipient's mail comes in and delivers the message there. The receiving server checks it for spam and malware and places it in the mailbox. The recipient reads it when they open their mailbox.
Does my email go directly to the recipient?
No. Your mail travels past mail servers, just as post goes past post offices. Your outgoing server passes the message to the recipient's mail server, which places it in the right mailbox. That usually happens within a few seconds.
Why does my email sometimes not arrive?
Usually due to incorrect domain settings (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC), a wrong outgoing server setting, or a spam filter on the recipient's side. Correct domain records and a secure connection increase the chance that your mail lands neatly in the inbox.
How long does it take for an email to arrive?
Usually a few seconds. Your message goes via your outgoing server to the recipient's mail server, and that runs smoothly. Sometimes it takes longer, for example when a receiving server briefly defers it or does extra checks. If mail fails entirely, you usually get an error message back.
What do I need to be able to use email?
An email address on a domain and an email hosting service that receives and sends your messages. To read and send you use webmail in your browser or a mail program. You don't need to arrange more yourself; the servers run in the background.